Added to inquiry!
DOCUMENTARY

New Life Blossoms in an Old Village:
Seven Years of Struggle and Hope

DOCUMENTARY 2013 48 mins Episode(s): 1 English English
The aging of Japan's population is steadily hollowing out the country's agriculture.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, a struggling farming community in Ishikawa Prefecture called Sugaike began trying to attract young residents. Hiroyuki Yago is one of the people who came. He moved from Osaka to Sugaike in order to grow organic vegetables, but there wasn't enough farmland available to rent and he has trouble making a living. Nevertheless, the locals have accepted Yago as one of their own, and he intends to stay. By 2012, there were three new families in Sugaike; abandoned land began to spring back to life, and a local dance festival that had not been held for 10 years was revived. Yago was there at the center of the dancing, cheered on by joyful longtime residents.

This program chronicles seven years in the life of a young man, who wanted to start a new life in the countryside by joining a community that is trying to adapt to the consequences of Japan's aging, shrinking population.

  •  

    Nippon-ga -Taro Yamamoto x Akita Maiko-
    2015 30 mins

    [Craft Masters of Japan] Taro Yamamoto is a professor at the Akita University of Art, but also a young painter who uses traditional Japanese techniques to create paintings with a ‘modern’ and humorous twist to them. This new art style is called  ‘Nippon-ga’, and has currently been attracting a lot...
    more details
  •  

    Angel, Living in a Loyal Dog's Home- Odate, Akita Prefecture
    30 mins

    [Beauty of Japan Season 2] The Akita dog breed is known for its cuteness, dignity, and for its loyalty to its owner (as described in the famous story of "Hachiko").  Angel, an Israeli living in Odate City, became a breeder after he was charmed by the Akita breed. Through his...
    more details
  •  

    Dad's War
    2016 47min

    “Warship-Musashi” is a nonfiction novel that was written based on many testimonies from those involved in the construction as well as those who survived the sinking of Musashi. One of the witnesses is Haruo Nomura. He is my dad. We knew very little about him. Born in 1921, he graduated...
    more details
  •  

    Wonderful Dreams in a Monochrome World- Toyama Prefecture
    2018 30 mins

    [Beauty of Japan Season 2] Jack Lee Randall is a shadow artist from the United States. He made the fateful decision to settle down in Toyama Prefecture after visiting there on one of his shows. His shadow performances evoke a sense of nostalgia in his spectators, and are full of...
    more details